Machine



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. M. MERROW & W. H. STEDMAN.

GROOHETING OR OVERSEAMING MACHINE.

No. 414,718. Patented Nov. 12, 1889.

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wmmw Jz No ModeL; 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. M. MERROW & W. H. STEDMAN.

GROGHETING OB. OVERSEAMING MACHINE.

No. 414,718' Patented Nov. 12, 1889.

lmil maaaeo UNTTED STATES JOSEPH MERROIV, OF MANSFIELD,

A PATENT OFFICE,

AND IVILLIAM II. STEDMAN, OF NOR- IVICH, CONNECTICUT; SAID STEDMAN ASSIGNOR TO SAID MERROlY.

SPECIFICATION forming part 'of Letters Patent No. 414,718, dated November 12, 1889.

Application filed May 17,1889. Serial No, 311,198. (No model.

I aZZ whom, it may concern Be it known that we, JOSEPH M. MERROW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Merrow, in the town of Mansfield, county of Tolland, and State of Connecticut, and TILLIAM Ii. STEDMAN, also a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Norwich, county of New London, and State aforesaid, have invented certain new and useful Improvements to in Crocheting or Overseam-ing Machines, of

which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates particularly to that class of machines in which a looper is operated to grasp oneor more threads above and below the fabric to form a chain at orbeyond the edge of said fabric; and the object of our invention is to insure the grasping of said thread or threads by the looper at the proper time.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specificatiomFigure 1 is a side elevation of a crocheting or overseaming machine to which our present invention is ap-' plied. Fig. 2 is a detached. View of a portion of the left-hand end of said machine, showing the needle, the main and supplemental threads, the thread-carrier and deflector, and its operating-cam. Figs. 3, at, and 5 are detached plan views showing a portion of the work-plate with the crochet-hook and the thread carrier and divert-er in various, posiv of said work-plate and form a chain of stitches tions.

Throughout the drawings similar letters of reference indicate similar parts.

A is the bed of the machine; B, the needlearm; 0, the main shaft; D,the driving wheel; E, the eccentric; F, the connection-rod; G, the needle-lever; H, the needle-bar; h, the needle; I and J, cylindrical cams; K, the sliding block; L, the crochet-hook bar or carrier; Z, the crochet-hook; M, the presser-bar; m, the presser-foot, and N the work-plate.

The main shaft Cis journaled in the lower portion of the machine, and the ban d-wheel I),

said shaft and rotate with it. The lower end of the connecting-rod F surrounds the eccen-.

chine upon the shoulder-screw g, while the the eccentric E, and cam J are secured to longer arm of said needle-lever receives the pin h, which passes through the needle-spindle H, the latter being supported by the need-le-arm B.

The cylindrical cam I is supported in the machine upon the stud i, and the gear c" upon said cam I meshes into the gear j upon the lowercylindrical cam J.

The feed-cam 0 upon the end of the main 6o shaft 0 operates the feed-lever c vertically and horizontally at the proper time to carry the feed-dog a into contact with the fabric to advance it, as is common in sewing-machines, 6 5

The cams I and J are provided with peripheral grooves 2'? and 9' which act upon rolls 1 and, f upon the crochet-hook bar or carrier, which is pivoted to a sliding block K, the latter being adapted to slide in a groove or chan- 7o nel made for the purpose.

When the hand-wheel is rotated, carrying with it the eccentric E and the cam J, the connecting-rod F is reciprocated vertically and operates the needle h in a manner com mon in sewing-machines, and at the same time 'the cams I and J are rotated, thus causing the crochet-hook carrier I, and the crochethook Z to be reciprocated longitudinally and to be tilted in such a manner that the crochet- 8o hook Z is carried above and below the workplate N to grasp the thread upon either side around the finger n and upon the edge of the fabric.

The machine hercinabovc described is essentially the same as that forming the subject of our application for Letters Patent filed October S, 1888, Serial No. 287,533, to which reference may he had for a more detailed1 description, if such is desired, I This machineso far as has been described forms no part of our present invention, but represents one type or style of machine to which our present invention has been applied; but our invention is also applicable to other varieties of machinery.

In themachine herein shown two threads may be employed, the crochet-hook grasping the main thread upon one side of the fabric I00 and the main thread and the supplemental thread upon the opposite side; but when desired the supplemental thread may be dispensed with, and the finish will then be formed from the main thread only. In operating the crochet-hook above and below the fabric to grasp the thread the said crochethook sometimes fails to grasp the thread and causes a blemish in the finish, and to obviate this difiiculty we have introduced a thread carrier and diverter and mechanism for operating the same, which we will now proceed to describe.

The cam O is secured to the end of the cam J and rotates with the latter.

A short shaft P is journaled operatively in the machine, and to its inner end is secured the lever 0, which is provided with a projection 0', resting upon the cam O, and is held down upon it by means of a fiat spring 0 The outer end of the rod or shaft P is provided with an angular projection 19, to which is adj ustably secured the thread carrier and diverterp by means of the screw 11 The lower end of the thread carrier and diverter p is bent at an angle and flattened, and is made of a form adapted to the purpose, as will be explained.

When the cam O is rotated, the thread carrier and diverter-will be reciprocated across the line of travel of the vertical needle when the latter is raised above the fabric, as will be fully explained.

It is obvious that acaln-groove may be employed to operate the thread carrier and diverter as an equivalent instead of a single cam and spring; but on some accounts we consider the construction herein shown and described more desirable.

The function of the thread carrier and diverter will be understood from the following description, reference being had particularly to Figs. 2, 3,4, and 5.

For the purposes of simplicityof description'of which time the looper or crochet-hook I will be in the position shown in Fig. 3, and from that point said crochet-hook will descend and pass under the work-plate N and finger n to grasp the main thread q below the fabric. During this time the flattened portion 19 of the thread carrier and diverter will be in positions indicated in Figs. 2 and 3. After the thread has been grasped by the crochethook below the fabric, as the operation of the machine continues, said crochet-hook will be carried around the edge of thefinger n and advanced over said finger and over the work-plate, and as the said crochet-hook advances said carrier and diverter 19 will be moved across the line of travel of the needle 71. while the latter is above the fabric, and will divert or carry the main'thread q, as is indicated at q in Fig. 4, out of the path and in front of the crochet-hook Z, so that the latterj will pass by said main thread, and as the said thread carrier and diverter continues to move to the position shown by the dotted lines'in Fig. 4 the main thread will slip over the narrow end-or point of said thread carrier and diverter after the point of said crochet-hook Z is advanced beyond the needle 72.. While the crochet-hook Z is being carried toward the edge of the finger n the thread carrier and diverter 133 again passes by the line of travel of the needle h before the latter has descended to pass through the fabric again, and in its passage said thread carrier and diverter diverts or carriesthe main thread q into the throat of the crochet-hook Z, as shown at q in Fig. 5, and when the crochet-hook is car-- supplemental thread 0" is carried in front of the crochet-hook Z as the latter advances over the finger n, as is shown in Fig.4, and while the said crochet-hook is retreating said supplemental thread is carried'into the throat of said hook in a manner'indicated in Fig. 5, so that both the main and 1he supplemental threads will be grasped by the said crochet.- hook above the work-plate and drawn through previously-formed loops at or beyond the edge of the finger n.

It will be observed that the flattened portion 19 constituting what is herein termed the thread carrier and diverter, although constructed in one piece, possesses three distinct functional parts or elements. Thus the portion or surface which engages the needlethread to carry the latter out of the path of the advancing crochet-hook or looper is functionally distinct and separate from the surface or portion engaging the needle-thread during the return movement to deflect or .carry said thread into the throat of the hook,

and, again, as a supplemental thread-carrier the device operates independently of the diverters; but by combining these several operative devices in a single structure or part separate actuating devices are dispensed with and a single driving mechanism suflices to produce allthe requisite movements.

IIO

Having thus described our invention, we

now claim 1. In a crocheting or over-seamingmachine, a reciprocating needle and a crochet-hook reciprocating in planes at an angle thereto and means for actuating said needle and crochethook, in combination with a thread-diverter movable transversely of the needle and engaging the thread carried thereby to divert it from the path of the crochet-hook.

2. In a crochetingor overseaming machine wherein the needle and crochet-hook are reciprocated in planes atan angle to each other, and in combination with said needle and crochet-hook, a thread-diverter engaging the needle-thread between the workplate and needle when the latter is withdrawn from the fabric, with devices for reciprocating said diverter in a direction to carry the thread into the throat of the crochet-hook, substantially as described.

In a crocheting or overseaming machine, a reciprocating needle and a looper reciprocated in planes at an angle to the needle and on opposite sides of the fabric to engage the needle-thread, in combination with a thread-. diverting surface movable transversely of the needle and between the latter and the workplate or fabric and engaging the needle-thread to carry it out of the path of the looper, and a second movable diverting-surface engaging the needle-thread and carrying it into the throat of the crochet-hook, substantially as described.

t. In a crocheting or overseaming machine, a reciprocating needle and a crochet-hook reciprocating above and below the work-plate in planes at an angle to the needle and engaging the needle-thread alternately above and below the work-plate, in combination with a reciprocating thread-carrier movable in a plane transverse to the crochet-hook, substantially as described, whereby, when the crochet-hook is operated to grasp the needlethread, the supplemental thread will be carried into the throat of the crochet-hook, so that both threads will simultaneously be grasped and loops formed therefrom by the continued movement of the crochet-hook.

5. In a crochetin-g or overseaming machine containing a reciprocating needle and a looper reciprocating in planes transverse to the needle, and in combination with the needle and looper, athread-diverter engaging the needlethread between the work-plate or fabric and the needle when the latter is retracted for diverting said thread laterally of the path of the looper, and a supplemental thread-carrier movable laterally of the looper to carry the supplemental thread into thelooper, substantially as described.

(3. A reciprocating threadcarrying needle and a crochet-hook reciprocating above and below the worl r-support in planes at an angle to the needle and co-operating with the latter to form stitches from the needle-thread, in combination with a reciprocating member provided with diverting-surfaces engaging the needle-thread between the needle and work-support and on opposite sides of said thread to first carry the latter away from the path of the crochet-hook and subsequently into the throat of said hook, substantially as described.

7 In a crocheting or overseaming machine, a reciprocating thread-carrying needle and a reciprocating crochet-hook moving in planes at an angle to the needle to engage the thread alternately on opposite sides of the fabric, in combination with a reciprocating thread diverter and supplemental threadcarrier movable transversely of the needle to .deliect the needle-thread and carry the supplemental thread into the throat of the hook, and actuating devices-such as a cam and spring, or the equivalent thereof-for reciprocating said diverter and carrier, substantially as described.

8. In acrocheting oroverseaming. machine, the combination, with the reciprocating thread-carrying needle and a looper reciprocating above and below the fabric in planes at an angle to the needle to engage the thread carried thereby, of a thread-diverter movable in aplane'transverse to the needleand between the latter and the fabric to engage the needle-thread, said diverter being provided with an inclined face for casting off the thread after the point of the hook passes the needle, substantially as described.

9. In a crocheting or overseaming machine, and in combination with the thread-carrying needle and a crochet-hook reciprocating in planes at an angle thereto, a thread-diverter movable transverse to the needle and between 'the latter and the fabric to engage the needie-thread, said diverter being projected across the plane of movement of the needle and prov ided with a curved surface for engaging the thread as the crochet-hook advances toward it to engage and divert the thread from the path of the hook and subsequently cast oit the thread and transfer it to the opposite side of the diverter, so that said thread will be engaged upon the return movement of the diverter and carried thereby into the throat of the crochet-hook, substantially as described.

JOSEPH M. MERROW. \VILLIAM H. STEDMAN.

Witnesses: I

FRANK I-I. ALLEN, ALoNZo M. LUTHER. 

